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So I suppose it's also correct to say, "The couple were going to Brazil" vs "The couple was going to Brazil." Why does that sound so odd? And you're right; it's very misused.
Going on what I learned in school eons ago, it can be singular or plural, depending upon the way you think of the word "couple."
If it feels like two individuals then the couple are/were. If it feels like a unit then the couple is/was. That's what they taught us in school anyway. So, the bottom line is not to worry about it--pretty much interchangeable.
I've argued about this ^ with my best college buddy since the 1970s! She teaches advanced placement English at a high school, yet she continues to say, "I feel badly." Drives me nuts.
Another one that makes me cringe is the misuse of the word, "media." Few people, including members of the media, use it correctly. "Media" is a plural word! If someone says, "The media was hounding Charlie Sheen," that is incorrect. It should be, "The media are hounding Charlie Sheen." The press is a medium. TV is a medium. Radio is a medium. One or more of these should be referred to as media and should be accompanied by a plural verb. Dagnabbit! ()
You mean the media *were* hounding... just a matter of tense, really and not much material difference. The media were and still are hounding him...
I didn't know where else to put this, so I'll share it with this thread. I was reading the Wikipedia article on etiquette in Latin America, and I saw this hilarious notation to a bullet point after the advisory not to discuss politics:
"Please note Argentina and Uruguay are different countries.[citation needed]"
And then there's the incorrect use of quotation marks for emphasis, such as seen on some auto repair shops...
"Inspection" Station
and
We do "Oil Change".
(What, exactly are they calling an "oil change"?)
I know! Someone on one of these threads posted something similar about the use of quotation marks in "fresh" produce, which would make you not want to buy any! "Fresh" lettuce. No, thanks.
Go to any forum index here on CD and at least one or quite possibly several of the thread titles will have misspellings and/or bad grammar.
If I could, I'd go correct all of them. Why don't we have a Spelling Police Moderator?
I know! Someone on one of these threads posted something similar about the use of quotation marks in "fresh" produce, which would make you not want to buy any! "Fresh" lettuce. No, thanks.
How in the world did "my bad" ever become a commonly-heard replacement for "I'm sorry, I was wrong"? It's not even a complete sentence; there's no verb. Talk about the dumbing down of America!
I love this thread! I couldn't stop until I got all the way through it, though I have other work to do.
My pet peeves (some already mentioned here):
Give it to myself...
Him and I...oh, my husband says this and it drives me nuts, but I really want to stay married so I bite my tongue.
Real big...Really? Even the news commentators say this now. Shouldn't they know better?
Rod iron...OK, I can understand this one, but really, can you do a search and find wrought?
You did good...'nough said
This door is to be remain open during business hours...OK, we agreed not to pick on Asian restaurants, but it's posted in every one I went to in Texas.
I was so proud last year when my 4-year-old asked "Mommy, why are you driving so slowly?" and later said "I did that really well".
Years ago I read the book On Language by William Safire. Everyone here would love it! I still remember his comments about the politician that said "We have more people per capita here than any other major city". He then imagined many two-bodied, one-headed people walking around.
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)
I can't take it anymore
No kidding! 
